Asked about ‘how willing the French consulate was to issue Schengen visas to Russian citizens’, the French ambassador implied that the chances are getting slimmer, EU Helpers reports.
According to the Schengen Statistics Portal, Russians filed over 520,000 visa applications last year, becoming the fifth largest source for visa requests. In 2022, Russians ranked second.
Russian Travellers Remain Loyal to the EU, Applying Increasingly for Visas Despite Sanctions
In response to the war in Ukraine and threatened by Russia, the European Union introduced restrictions to Russian citizens back in 2022, with some of those including longer visa processing time and increased visa fees.
However, these discouraging measures have not halted Russians from applying for Schengen visas, as travel agents in Russia have said that the interest in Russians visiting the zone will be on the rise. Italy, France, and Spain are the top destinations.
Rejection Rates for Russian Applicants Reached 10.43% in 2023
Out of 520,000 visa applications from Russians, some 54,000 were rejected in 2023. Considering that the number of applications has dropped, the rejection rates could have remained unchanged. However, even with fewer applicants, it is evident that Russians rejected more visas in 2023.
Moreover, the number of Multiple Entry Visas (MEVs) granted to Russians halved – from 72.46 per cent in 2022 to 49.22 per cent in 2023.
Countries more likely to issue MEVs to Russians in 2023 were Luxembourg, Belgium and Lithuania, while countries more likely to grant Schengen visas to Russians were Poland, Iceland and Slovakia – although application rates for these countries were very low.
Malta, Estonia and Sweden have the highest rejection rates for Schengen visa applications filed by Russians. Spain, Netherlands and Portugal are least likely to grant Russians MEVs.
